Buzz buzz buzzwords!

Paul in Cannon Beach

Just in time for your year end reviews!!! Some handy buzzwords that don't mean anything!

Buzzwords: "team," "process," "interactive," "empowerment," "ownership," "strategic," "assessment," "competency," "customer satisfaction," "validate," "support," "asset," "environment," "parameter," "maximize," "focus," "leverage," "system," and "paradigm."

Combine these randomly and you get meaningless phrases such as:


"analysis and validation of support strategies for customer satisfaction parameters

"maximized systems of strategic environmental processes"

"parameters of team competency assessment support"

"focus on ownership of teamwork assessment validation assets"

"empowering your interactive competency team process"

"utilizing paradigms of support validation strategies of assessment"

From: [URL]http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/writsamp0.htm[/URL]

Sharon McKnight SPHR

As HR practitioners, we sometimes find ourselves in meetings with employees load their remarks with buzz words. If we speak up and ask for clarification, we run the risk of being considered not bright enough to even be in the room. So, as annoying as buzz words are, it pays to learn all the terms that are specific to your industry as possible. It not only helps give HR credibility with management, it may just hep with career advancement as well.

Also, it doesn't hurt to arm yourself with HR buzz words. How many can you think of?

Sharon

PS: Industry specific acronyms can be just as aggravating.

Dutch2

You can always play "Buzz-word" bingo at meetings. The first person that checks off five buzz-words shouts out "BINGO".

NaeNae55

Sharon: I believe the words Paul mentioned can [U]all[/U] be used in HR. I think it is more fun to throw acronyms around, especially to those people who use buzzwords to show how much smarter they are than you. Not that that has ever happened to me.

Dutch: I love your idea! Only instead of BINGO! I think they should shout BUZZO!

Still Need Coffee

Our workplace has so many acronyms that we give out an acronym guide at orientation. We also tell employees we've thought of going on an ARP (acronym reduction program).

Come on. You know you love the corniness of that joke.

Dutch2

Something like.... SOAB - the Society of Bad Acronyms

NaeNae55

Oh! I thought those letters (SOAB) stood for something else.

BK483

On my "Happy Fun Place" board I have a poster that says "Ban TLA (three-letter acronyms.

LTL, FTC (Long-time listener, first time caller".